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November 21, 2011

Thankful

So many of us Writing professors care so deeply about our students, the academy, teaching.That, I think, is the message that gets lost among all of the state and federal battles.

Ultimately, teaching Writing is a labor of love. The act of writing is so very personal, even for students who they think they are terrible writers, and especially when they think they are terrible writers (and most of them believe this at first).The relationship between the Writing instructor and the Writing student is an intimate one.Beyond the intimacies of the narrative mode of discourse, there is a sort of testimony that comes with all the other modes as well. To be a witness to all of this spilling of human frailty is a special thing. Most days, I feel proud to be a part of it all – to shape the imaginations, ideologies, and experiences of humanity is rare.And I get to do it every day.And somebody pays me (albeit meager) to do it. For this, I am priveleged and thankful.